Following South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg's announcement that he will join the race for DNC chair, Tom Perez released the following statement:

"Democrats deserve a vibrant conversation about the direction of our party, and I'm excited to have Mayor Buttigieg bringing his voice to the debate. The Democratic Party is in desperate need of a turnaround. Now more than ever, I believe we need a chair who embraces the future of our party, inspires people, grows our broad tent, and speaks to the values and concerns of the voters we need to win. And we need a chair with the leadership and management experience to protect the progress we've made and keep us moving forward. The party has ignored local leaders for some time, and that is why I have spent the last few weeks listening and learning from folks on the ground in order to build a grassroots effort to last. I look forward to continuing this conversation alongside Mayor Buttigieg and our fellow candidates in the days and weeks to come."